Antony Johnston is the New York Times bestselling author and creator of Atomic Blonde. He also writes both the Dog Sitter Detective mysteries and the Brigitte Sharp thrillers. A former vice chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, for more than twenty years he’s written books, graphic novels, non-fiction, videogames, and screenplays. Much of it has been done with a snoozing hound curled up in his study.

Antony says, 'In the past I’ve written Marvel superhero comics, chart-topping horror videogames, and cyber-spy thriller novels. But currently I’m focused on my new cosy crime series, The Dog Sitter Detective, starring a retired actress who takes up dog sitting and keeps stumbling across murders…! If you want to know how I fit all this in, I also wrote a productivity guide for authors called The Organised Writer.'

Antony's Tip:
We all struggle with distraction while writing. While some can resist the internet’s siren call for a few hours, many of us find that once we’ve gone online, it’s difficult to get back into focusing on our work. Our heads fill up thinking about emails, tweets, and Facebook posts we’ve seen, what we think about them and how we’re going to reply.
If that sounds like you, my recommendation is simple: don’t go online until you’ve finished writing for the day.
Even if that means you don’t check your email until very late, or you don’t look at Twitter until the evening, it’s worth it. Humans are social, conversational creatures – which means that once we’ve read something that expects a reply, we often can’t settle down until we’ve got it out of our system.
So many writers feel they should ‘deal with their email’ before writing, which sounds fine in theory, but in practice can be a disaster. It’s all too easy to think, ‘I’ll just send this reply first, and then I’ll start writing’… only to look up several hours later and realise you still haven’t cleared out your inbox, but now you’ve run out of time and it’s too late in the day to get any real work done.

Instead, try this. Wake up; deal with family/life obligations; then begin to write with a ‘clean mind’, free of intrusive mental pollution from the real world.
It’s easier said than done, I know. It takes willpower, and discipline. But I’ve been working this way for more than fifteen years, and I can tell you it definitely works. I wrote The Dog Sitter Detective during the first Covid lockdown, which was a time when I really didn’t feel like writing anything at all. But using the ‘clean mind’ method I was able to get the first novel in a brand new series finished in just a few months.
So why not give it a try?

​The Dog Sitter Detective is out now. If you want to learn more about Antony’s process, check out his author’s productivity guide The Organised Writer.

The Dog Sitter Detective: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0749029943/
The Organised Writer: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1472977181/

You can learn more about The Dogsitter Detective at https://dogsitterdetective.com. Or follow him on social media, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Today's #TuesdayTip is another #ConversationsWithTheirCreations.
The premise is simple - an author conducts an interview with one of their characters. I leave it up to them how they wish to interpret that brief.
​I am thrilled to invite back thriller writer Stuart Field to chat with his latest creation, Ronin Nash.
A former soldier, Stuart now works as an armed security guard. He was born in the West Midlands, and is married with one daughter.
A busy man, he is the author of the John Steel series, soon to number six entries, the new Ronin Nash series, and has just published the first in a new, two-book series, A Friend Of The Family.  ​

My name is Stuart Field, and I am here with Special Agent Ronin Nash. Today we will discuss his life and his latest case, which was documented in my latest novel, Nobody’s Agent; Ronin Nash, thriller book 1.
Me:  So, Ronin, tell us about yourself.
Nash: Hi Stuart, thanks for having me today. Well, my name is Ronin Nash, and I work for a new government agency which is called the Interagency Investigation Bureau. I was born in Edinburgh, Scotland but didn’t stay there long. My father was in the British army, and we moved around a lot. He was in the Black Watch regiment. My mother was born and grew up in Manhattan, New York. Apparently, they got together after a fling they had when he was on R&R from an exercise in Canada.
We finally moved to Manhattan when I was in my teens after my dad retired from the army and bought a bar in Manhattan. Mac’s bar is called. Anyway, I went through college and finally joined the army. After a few years, I joined the Rangers. I was happy enough there, but after a friend was murdered and I investigated, I got snatched up by CID. Things went ok there until a joint op with the FBI; then, I got snatched up by the feds.
Me: Sounds like an exciting life you’ve had. So how come you are with the IIB?
Nash. There were some problems with my last year in the Bureau, namely one of my work colleagues was a dick. There was an incident, and I left. But after about a year, my old boss, soon to be my new one, asked me to join the IIB on one case, and I guess I just decided to stay afterward.
Me: I see you don’t like to dress like the other agents. Is there a reason?’
Nash: I was never much one for rules I felt were…unnecessary. The whole Brooks Brothers costume was not my thing. For one, it made you stand out. Criminals could see you coming a mile off. Besides, I knew it irritated the hell out of people, so it was a win-win in my book.  I like to dress practically, that is why I prefer jeans or chinos to suit pants. Work or military style boots to shiny shoes. When I dress for an investigation, I don’t want to worry if I’m gonna get my pants dirty or scuff my shiny shoes. And you tried running in those shoes? You get blisters.
Me: So, tell us about the case in, Nobody’s Agent.
Nash: It is set in a small town called Finchley. This is in upstate New York near Albany. The sheriff had discovered three bodies, and it was my job as an IIB agent to go there and assess whether it was a case for the cops or the FBI or, indeed, just an accident. As it turned out, there was more waiting for me in Finchley than I first thought.
Me: Well, unfortunately, that is all we have time for. So thanks to Ronin Nash, and to find out more, check out: www.amazon.co.uk/Nobodys-Agent-Stuart-Field/dp/B09ZCSW3BM

For this week's #TuesdayTip, I am thrilled to invite thriller writer Stuart Field to tell us about the benefits of travelling for research.
A former soldier, Stuart now works as an armed security guard. He was born in the West Midlands, and is married with one daughter.
A busy man, he is the author of the John Steel series, soon to number six entries, the new Ronin Nash series, and has just published the first in a new, two-book series, A Friend Of The Family.  

Stuart's Tip
Travel and do research on your locations:

• Try and see the places you are writing about. Doing research on the internet is a must, but being there is better.  That way, you can get the feel for the place, the aromas, and the people. Also, it can help answer questions about situations your character might face. You might look at a street or a walkway in the hills and think it is perfect, and then when you see it for real, you find your idea isn’t feasible. Try the local foods and drinks. Put yourself in your character’s shoes.
• Also, remember, if you are writing about a city such as New York, London, etc, if you need to put in a diner, a hotel, or even a gas station, make sure it is feasible to do so. Don’t try and put one of these where it is obvious there is a skyscraper or other structure. Doing research on locations is a must because a reader who lives in that city will pick it up.
• However, if you find a city or actual place that doesn’t work for your idea, make one up. That way, you can put what you want in the town, and nobody can pick you up. It is a simple solution, but be careful, because you may still have to research the area you are about to put your new town. 
• The best tip is to have fun in your writing. 
  

(c) 2022 Stuart Field.

You can find out more about Stuart by visiting his website, following him on Twitter or Instagram, or visiting his Facebook Page.
As always feel free to comment here or on social media. 

If you are a writer with a suggestion for a #TuesdayTip, feel free to email me at DCIJones@Outlook.com.
Until the next time,
​Paul.

Today's #TuesdayTip is another #ConversationsWithTheirCreations.
The premise is simple - an author conducts an interview with one of their characters. I leave it up to them how they wish to interpret that brief.
Today's author is GB Williams. She specialises in complex, fast-paced crime novels, most recently, “Breaking Free”, but also the “Locked Trilogy”.  GB was shortlisted for the 2014 CWA Margery Allingham Short Story Competition with the story Last Shakes, now available in Last Cut Casebook. Crime novels are her stock in trade, but she has had success with short stories in other genres including steampunk, horror, and erotica, and has penned a successful steampunk series. She has a husband and two grown up children, not to mention the world’s most imperious demanding cat.  GB is such a cat slave, even the neighbourhood cats come demanding dinner. Now working as a fulltime writer and freelance structural editor. GB hates every photo ever taken of her.
She says, "I specialise in fast paced, contemporary crime that doesn’t hide from harsh reality (not too much gore). Nor do I hide from the fact that people have a heart, I will run through the gamut of emotion, and sometimes make the reader cry. There are many elements in my work, but it’s all about people and what they go through."

Today, she is interviewing Elaine Blake, star of Breaking Free.

GBW: Hello, Mrs Elaine Blake. How are you enjoying your travels?
Elaine: Much better than expected. I’ve barely travelled since meeting my husband 25 years ago, and he made me such a dreadful traveller, nervous, blundering. Mostly because he nagged, insulted, and stressed me out so I couldn’t relax or sleep. Now without him, even where I don’t understand the language, I’m calm. Mostly. My sense of direction has returned, and more importantly, I’m regaining a sense of self.
GBW: Talking of your husband, I’m sorry for your loss.
Elaine: I’m not. He was a controlling abuser who caged me up. I admit wanting to be a dull mouse but marrying him made me so much less than that. Worse. But now he’s gone, this mouse can roar across Europe.
GBW: Were there no good points to your marriage?
Elaine: Many. Twenty-one to be exact, all foster children. I couldn’t have kids, which, given what Jason was like, is probably a blessing, heavily disguised blessing, but we had twenty-one wonderful foster children.
GBW: Do you all stay in touch?
Elaine: Unfortunately, not. I’ve tried, but no. Still, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for any of them, if asked.
GBW: Like travel overseas, evade secret agents, solve cyphers, face down gunmen?
Elaine: (Laughs self-deprecatingly) Well yes, though you make it sound so dangerous.
GBW: You don’t think this is dangerous?
Elaine: It’s such fun, why worry about the danger? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not stupid. I know this could cost me my life. I’m 42 but for the first time in my life, I feel alive. Not just existing for others, I’m finally living. Really living. For my family, however weirdly extended.
GBW: So, it’s all about relationships for you?
Elaine: Of course. Relationships are everything. Even lousy ones teach you something. My marriage taught me I can’t hide who I am, I don’t even want to try anymore. My foster-daughter, Madison, has taught me about the kind of strong, centred woman I want to be. 
GBW: What about your relationship with your foster-son, Lazlo?
Elaine: (Sighs) Yes, well, I’ll always love him. He’s why I’ve done all this. I came to help him. But things just aren’t that simple.
GBW: And your relationship with the secret agent?
Elaine: Relationship? That man threated to break my finger if I didn’t answer his questions. He tried to send me home to be a sitting duck. 
GBW: He saved your life.
Elaine: Well, yes, but… Look, I don’t even know his name. I admit, he’s kind of dishy though.
GBW: Indeed. So, now you’ve evaded duplicitous family, secret agents and gunmen. What’s next?
Elaine: Figure out the last cyphers and codes, see where they lead. I can’t go home. Not yet, if ever. But it’s a big old world. If I survive, I’ll end up where I belong. Somewhere I can be me.
GBW: And who are you?
Elaine: Damned if I know. (Laughs) Maybe I’ll find out if I just play the game.

To learn more about her and her writing, visit her website or her Facebook page.
Or you can follow her on Twitter @GailBWilliams or Instagram @gbwilliamsauthor.

For this week's #TuesdayTip, I am thrilled to invite Jason Monaghan back to share his "Plot Spider" method for writing a second draft. Jason previously shared his "Filleted Fish" method for a first draft, so if you haven't done so already, I recommend having a read of that as well.

Jason is an author and archaeologist, now back working in his native Yorkshire after many travels. His career has taken unexpected twists including becoming a bank director, anti-money laundering specialist, shipwreck archaeologist and museum director. All of which creates plenty of inspiration for his thrillers, of which the latest is Blackshirt Masquerade published by the Historia imprint of Level Best books. He has also written the Jeffrey Flint archaeological thriller series available from Lume Books and is an active member of the Crime Writers Association.

Jason's Tip
My very spare ‘filleted fish’ first draft will be around 40,000 words, and when I’m convinced that I have a whole potential novel I draw what I call my ‘plot spider’. This used to be on paper, but I now employ a wipe board to mark up with characters, organisations and incidents connected with coloured lines. While this information may already be in my head it is a well- known design principle that presenting a plan graphically engages different parts of the mind, feeding creativity.
In the centre will be whatever is at the core of the novel, so in the case of Blackshirt Masquerade it is the British Union of Fascists in a big black circle. I link my hero and the other characters to the central circle and each other. More organisations are added around the edges: MI5, Special Branch, the Communist Party and so on.
Annotations will be added to the links, such as ‘girlfriend’, ‘witness’, or ‘kills’. Major incidents are drawn in red starbursts, linking to affected people. During this process, it becomes clear where gaps in the logic of the plot need to be filled. How did those people meet? Who is this character really working for? How does he unmask the villains? Key clues are also flagged, with links to who discovers them and how. In my Jeffrey Flint books the plots were constructed like an onion, with concealing layers that needed to be stripped away one by one.
After only an hour or two I have a messy piece of modern art and grubby hands. I take a snap on my phone for reference.
I often draw a second diagram as a villains-eye view. It shows the underlying plot, the one the reader doesn’t see and my heroes will only uncover piece by piece. This cross-checks the logic of the bad guys, what they hope to gain and how they respond as the heroes draw closer.
Thrillers generally have several threads to the plot which are gradually twisted together or are revealed to be red herrings. A sub-plot such as a romance or personal crisis of a lead character may need its own resolution. I use the wipe board again to make a plot list, colour coded for each strand, making sure each has its genesis and resolution – or is deliberately left hanging for the sequel. This points up plot lines that are undernourished and where more clues or twists are needed. Each thread is written onto a calendar so they can ultimately converge in a logical manner, and in a historical thriller also march in step with actual events.
Finally I’m ready to write Draft 2, aiming for 70,000 words or so in which the plot, sub-plots, clues and resolution are all there. It’s still not fit to show anyone, but at least I can start talking about ‘my next book’.
(c) Jason Monaghan 2022

You can learn more about Jason by visiting his website and Facebook page or following him on Twitter @Jasonthriller or Instagram @docmonaghan.

What do you think of Jason's "Plot Spider" method, or his "Filleted Fish" method?
As always, feel free to comment here or on social media.

​Until next time, best wishes,
Paul
Are you a writer with a tip to share? If so, please feel free to contact me here, or via email/social media. 👇

For this week's #TuesdayTip, I am thrilled to invite Jason Monaghan to share his "Filleted Fish" method for writing a first draft.  Stay tuned for a later tip, when he will be sharing his "Plot Spider" method for writing a second draft.

Jason is an author and archaeologist, now back working in his native Yorkshire after many travels. His career has taken unexpected twists including becoming a bank director, anti-money laundering specialist, shipwreck archaeologist and museum director. All of which creates plenty of inspiration for his thrillers, of which the latest is Blackshirt Masquerade published by the Historia imprint of Level Best books. He has also written the Jeffrey Flint archaeological thriller series available from Lume Books and is an active member of the Crime Writers Association.

Jason's Tip
Writers’ approaches to creating their first draft are classically discussed as ‘pantsers’ who write beginning to end and ‘plotters’ who map it all out before they begin. My approach is something in between, with the first draft resembling one of those filleted fish that a cartoon cat finds in a bin. It has a head, a tail, a backbone and a few ribs.
A plot comes to me as if I’m remembering a movie that I saw many years ago. There’s a shooting, but a man is running towards it; why? Who was the target and why did the shooter miss? It’s something to do with Blackshirt fascists and spies. Ideas start to build as I daydream in the shower or doing the washing up, and pretty soon I begin to write. In parallel I’ll commence background research for the historical period, geographic locations and technical detail. Facts will be dropped in as I find them, correcting the text if necessary.
I write the opening chapters pantser-style, knowing that the first pages will probably be replaced or heavily reworked as it is critical that the opening grabs both publisher and readers. This is the ‘head’, and the developing plot becomes the backbone. I’ll write the key action scenes, major character moments and big twists that become the ribs of the story. The first draft comes out as a stream of consciousness, jumping from one scene to another, not necessarily in sequence. It’s deliberately spare, with dialogue just using ‘he said/she said’ and omitting most of the animation, the setting down of teacups or anxiously glancing out of the window. That will come in later drafts once I’m certain I need that scene and it is worthwhile proceeding to polish it.
This methodology works for me, but it’s not the most efficient way to write. It came about due to time pressures of fitting writing around a day job, family commitments and academic research. Also, my thrillers don’t follow the linear sequence of crime to clue to suspect to resolution as employed in a classic police procedural. Several plot threads wind in and out before becoming tied together in the climax, and a fair amount of re-arranging of the ‘ribs’ will be needed in later drafts.
The filleted fish needs a tail, so I’ll write the ending fairly early as I need to know where the story is going. Loose ends need to be tied up, villains identified, and seeds planted for a sequel. I aim to have about 40,000 words in the first draft if the final target is 90-100k. The lead characters are all there, as is the main plot, and it has a beginning, middle and end. It’s not something I’d want anyone else to read, but I have a story. 
(c) Jason Monaghan 2022

You can learn more about Jason by visiting his website and Facebook page or following him on Twitter @Jasonthriller or Instagram @docmonaghan.

What do you think of Jason's "Filleted Fish" method?
As always, feel free to comment here or on social media.
Stay tuned for Jason's second post in a few weeks time and stop by next week, when I celebrate 100 Tuesday Tips by launching a new feature ...

Are you a writer with a tip to share? If so, please feel free to contact me here, or via email/social media. 👇

Today's Guest Blogger is the Michigan-based writer and artist, C.A. Michaels
Writing since 2010, she writes all genres except horror and focuses primarily on epic fantasy.
She is currently writing two series, one focusing on the Demon-Vampire Hunter (and axe tossing champion) Samantha Marie Peterson and the Pathfinders series The Elysian Gods.
​
​C.A. Michaels' Writing Tips
First, there is always room for improvement and to read. Reading will help improve yourself.

On the topic of world-building, she says "I usually start with one world and the character. Even if Earth is involved. But I do like all that to be evolved over a series." When choosing names for her characters, she says the names "just come to me". In her fantasy, she has some easy names to say, like Seth and Karri, then there are some like Jutari. 
(c) C.A. Michaels 2022
You can find out more about C.A. Michaels by visiting her website or following her on Twitter @DRCAMichaels or Instagram @Digital_reverence.

For this week's tip, I'm delighted to welcome Keith Dixon.
Keith has written two series of crime novels – one featuring Sam Dyke, a private detective working in the north of England and another featuring Paul Storey, an ex-police marksman now living in Coventry and occasionally getting involved in bad stuff. He's currently embarked on a third series set in a fictional southern England resort.

Keith's Writing Tip

• Guidance to writers of fiction often includes the instruction: “When writing dialogue, avoid call and response.”

 What this means is that you should avoid having a character ask a question and another answer it directly, like this:
 
“Did you finish that report I asked you for?”
“Yes, I typed it up last night,” Joe said.
“What conclusions did you come to?”
“That the victim probably knew his attacker and let him into the house.”

This is all well and good, and gives the reader information they might need. But it’s dull!
​
My tip is to remember that everyone in a scene has their own motivation and goal – another instruction writers are often given – and so answering a direct question with a straightforward answer might not satisfy their need to express themselves fully. So before writing the ‘obvious’ response, the factual reply, take a beat to consider the situation from the other person’s perspective and empathise with them …
 
“Did you finish that report I asked you for?”
“You never told me why it was so urgent. What’s the rush?”
“When I want to tell you why I do things, I’ll consider it … before deciding not to. All right?”
“I think you take me for granted.”
“I’m your boss, I’m allowed.”
“So it seems,” Joe said. “If you’re interested, I think the victim knew his attacker and let him in.”
 
The failure to answer a direct question leads to a brief exploration of the second character’s own feelings about being used by the first. This could have been intimated at through the narrator editorialising, but is more effective and direct when seen in the dialogue.
 
So before you write that next line, pause, and empathise with the character!
(c) Keith Dixon 2022

In a long and unstructured career, Keith has taught English and American Literature, been an advertising copywriter, a business psychologist and an online learning creator. He's currently living in France where he writes crime novels and wonders whether he should give up trying to play the guitar.

You can find out more about Keith and his writing by visiting his website or his Facebook page or by following him on Twitter (@keithyd6) and Instagram (@theidlewriter).

For this week's tip, I am delighted to welcome GB Williams. 
GB Specialises in fast paced, contemporary crime that doesn’t hide from harsh reality (not too much gore). She says "Nor do I hide from the fact that people have a heart, I will run through the gamut of emotion, and sometimes make the reader cry. There are many elements in my work, but it’s all about people and what they go through." 

GB's Writing Tip
Read out loud. 
When you think you’re ready to go, think again and read your work aloud. It doesn’t matter what genre you’re writing, or where you are on your publishing journey, to know if your manuscript works or not, the best way is to read it out loud.
This is a struggle for most authors, but stick with it. No one expects you to go all Shakespearean, enunciating each syllable and clipping every vowel, but it is important to know that the words sound right when read out. Reading aloud will highlight a lot of issues you would otherwise not know were there, and the various grammar checkers won’t tell you either. 
The inability to listen to your own voice doesn’t exclude you doing this either. There are many programmes which will read your work out for you. They are utterly expressionless, but I find that means I don’t get caught up in the story, I listen to the actual words and mistakes jump out. The latest versions of Word have a read to me option, as does the free download of Adobe, not sure about Pages as I don’t have a Mac, but I suspect that something is available for Mac users too.
Reading aloud also has another benefit, it lets you know what is easy/difficult to actually say.  There’s a surprising difference between what we can read in our heads and what we can read aloud. The added benefit of course, is that should your book got to audio, you’ve made life easier for the actor reading it.

GB specialises in complex, fast-paced crime novels, most recently, “The Chair”, but also the “Locked Trilogy”.  GB was shortlisted for the 2014 CWA Margery Allingham Short Story Competition with the story Last Shakes, now available in Last Cut Casebook. Crime novels are her stock in trade, but she has had success with short stories in other genres including steampunk, horror, and erotica, and has penned a successful steampunk series. She has a husband and two grown up children, not to mention the worlds most imperious demanding cat. GB is such a cat slave, even the neighbourhood cats come demanding dinner. Now working as a fulltime writer and freelance structural editor. GB hates every photo ever taken of her.
She is published by Black Bee Books.

To learn more about her and her writing, visit her website or her Facebook page.
Or you can follow her on Twitter @GailBWilliams or Instagram @gbwilliamsauthor.

This week I am delighted to welcome Fiona Veitch Smith. Fiona is the author of the Poppy Denby Investigates novels, Golden Age-style murder mysteries set in the 1920s. The Jazz Files was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger (2016), while subsequent books were shortlisted for the Foreword Review Mystery Novel of the Year and the People’s Book Prize. She worked as a journalist on Cape Town newspapers in the 1990s before returning to the UK to work on regional magazines in NE England. Thereafter, she spent a decade lecturing creative writing at Northumbria University and journalism at Newcastle University. She is now the Assistant Secretary of the Crime Writers’ Association. She lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with her husband and teenage daughter.
​

Fiona's #TuesdayTip.
Find your OWN writing rhythm. You will hear writing gurus (many of them famous authors) telling you that you must write every day to be a ‘real’ writer. That you must set yourself a word count. That you must carry on writing and not go back over what you’ve written before you reach the end of your novel. Well, I do none of those things. Due to caring duties and other work commitments, I only write three days a week, for only a few hours at a time. I rarely set myself a word count. I always go back over what I have written before I move on. And yet I have managed to write a novel a year for the last 10 years as well as a couple of dozen children’s picture books and hundreds of magazine and blog articles. If the ‘write every day, never go back over what you have written, and set yourself a word count’ style works for you then stick to it, but if it doesn’t, don’t be scared to work to your own rhythm. The important thing is that you write. Your way and in your time. And that it brings you, and hopefully others, some joy. Happy writing.
​(c) 2021 Fiona Veitch Smith

The Poppy Denby Investigates novels are Golden Age murder mysteries set in the 1920s dealing with issues of social justice while sizzling with jazz-age style. Poppy, dubbed the 1920’s most stylish sleuth, works on a London tabloid and solves murders on the side.
The first in the series is The Jazz Files and is available on Amazon.
The latest, The Crystal Crypt​ has just been released and is available here:
To find out more about Fiona and Poppy Denby, you can visit her website www.poppydenby.com and Facebook page or follow her on Twitter @FionaVeitchSmit and Instagram @fionaveitchsmith_author.